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Sunday, 11 December 2011

So our 52 Pages is almost at an end, and many people have asked me if I am doing a prompt challenge next year...well I am...sort of. I will try and explain what I am going to do, and then if you would like to join in that would be wonderful.

I have a gorgeous set of books, 6 of them, in a wooden box by NICK BANTOCK , the books are the Griffin and Sabine series. I urge you to read them if you have not already, they are truly beautiful books. The theme of the books is two people who correspond by postcard and the books are full of the postcards.

Here is a link TO THE BOOKS on Amazon, you can look inside them.go and look they are beautiful.

I have loved these books for a long time, and decided that next year I am going to make my own book of postcards and create a story to go with them.

There is a button that you can grab, over there on the left...

So here is the challenge, based totally on the Nick Bantock books.

Step one ...create 2 characters, and 2 addresses.

now they can be 2 guys, 2 women, a man and a woman, 2 kids, 2 old people...whatever you want. the address can be anywhere in the world as long as they are fictitious. All you need to start with is a name for each person and an address for each person

Step two... cut out 52 postcards. You can use whatever you want, plain card, textured card, patterned card, watercolour paper...whatever you want, as long as they are 6inches x 4 inches.

If you wish to join in every week you will need 52, you may only want to join in fortnightly, or even monthly in which case you need less cards.

Step three...make or buy a book. you need enough pages for all your cards, depending on how often you are joining in.

Step four...decide how you will attach the cards into the book, you must be able to take them out..so you could use a pocket on each page...an envelope...or bought/hand made photo corners...

that's all you need to do for now.

On Monday 2nd January the challenge will begin. You will need to visit here to find out

...the first country...

this is a really long post, click to see the rest of it.x

each week I will post the name of a country. You then take inspiration from that country to decorate the front of your postcard. In whatever way you wish. you can stamp..collage...draw..paint...whatever you want, as long as it ties in somehow with that weeks country.

On the back of your postcard, make it look like a real postcard. A space for a stamp, some lines for an address..

then write your postcard....from one of your made up people(person A) to the other made up person(person B)

on week two....your postcard will be sent from person B to person A...and so on.

Now what do you write on your postcard?....well that is up to you.

your 2 people are strangers, so how do they have each others addresses? maybe thru an advert? maybe one found the others wallet and it had an address inside? maybe thru a penfriend organisation??

each week you will write from one to the other, asking questions, maybe answering questions, giving snippets of information so these 2 strangers can get to know each other.

perhaps one is a glamorous model, and will talk about her job...maybe one is a travel journalist and will write about the country...maybe one is a spy and will be mysterious...think how your people are able to travel so much...

IT IS UP TO YOU...have fun with these characters, make them flamboyant, silly, adventurous.

I don't want you to panic and think...OMG I cannot write a story...this is going to be a series of short conversations between 2 people, grammar and composition is not important.

Have you ever picked u a really old postcard and read the message on the back and wondered who this person was, who were they writing to, what kind of life did they have? I am fascinated by these little glimpses into strangers lives. you can make your 'story' elaborate if you want, adding in names of families and details of jobs etc, or you can keep them simple. have fun...fun..fun playing with these characters and their lives.

when your postcard is written post a photo of the front and the back on your blog, this should be done sometime fri-sun each week, ready for the new country to be posted the following Monday.

We will all want to visit each others blogs to read the unfolding stories each week.

and then pop your card into your book. The reason for keeping them in a book is so they are always kept in order, should you want to read them again in the future.

If you want to decorate the page of the book too that is up to you. If you do I suggest using the country as your inspiration for that too.

So are you interested???

My friend Dede has a fabulous show on making a book from file folders which would be perfect for this project. Watch her show HERE...

this is the book that I have made..

I stitched signatures together...

Made a book cover and covered it with wrapping paper in a travel theme.. I added maps to the inside covers.. I then glued an envelope on some pages and stuck photo corners on other pages..

It is already chunky....love it...

I super glued an old belt around it, to keep it closed and to make it look like an old travel journal...

here is the back of my postcard.. I have a bagful of old postage stamps from around the world, so on most of my postcards I will actually be able to use a real stamp from that country.

and here it is in the book. I still need to decorate the page around it.

you will have to come back in January to see the postcard properly and to read the start of my story on the back.

So are you interested in joining in? I do hope so. I would love to come visit your blogs, to see your cards and to read your unfolding story between your 2 characters.

Yay!!!! Would love to join in:) Hopefully I can keep up. Getting excited already. May even attempt my book to keep them in using kirstie allsops tutorial on episode 8 shows how to book bind :)Nicki. Xxx

This sounds wonderful! It reminds of The Lake House with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. I LOVE that movie! I wish I could do this but I have a hard time journalling on a postcard let alone telling a story. I'll just have to experience this through all the wonderful stories you come up with!

Forgot to say, it reminds me a bit of a book I read when I was in my pre-teens, called 'Nachtpapa' ('Night dad'). It was about a girl who's mum was a nurse in a hospital, who often had to work at night. So for the nights she wasn't at home, she got a babysitter for her daughter. A writer who would sit at the kitchen table writing a book about stones...The man and the little girl start leaving letters for each other, and from that point onwards, the book is just their letters back and forth.

I borrowed it from the library and kept taking it out over and over again. I was so sad when one day it disappeared...

Having spent the best part of this year giving away MY art materials to my two uni sons with the rest of my clan joining in, I've spent the last two weeks replacing them whilst prices are dropping for Christmas so I'm definitely in this as I love the sound of it and have a couple of character ideas instantly during reading your post :)

Now to find a suitable book to put them all in ........ may have to go with something altered that I've been ripping to shreds during Amy's Altered Books class this week as it probably still has enough pages and as its no where near finished I can adapt it now.

Darcy, did you know my other love was writing? teehee. This is a cool project, I'm very committed next year with online workshops/life book etc., But - this is SO up my alley that I can't say no to joining. Do you have to join from the beginning, or can one join in mid way thru? Like I might like to do 'longer' stories but maybe only 6 - one for each month x 2 characters? Will that be ok?Ooh sounds fun, keep me informed please. DM on twitter if there is something i need to know.Thanks for sharing xo

Super idea Darcy - might only do every few weeks as doubt I'd get round to one every week - but I'll try - maybe somepoint in the year they fall out and thats why there is a break in the correspondance!?!

WOW - this sounds amazing..noticed it on Janey's FB post and am glad I investigated...I'm due to finish the second module of a masters degree this month and then taking a study break so hoping to have much more time to craft and this would be just perfect ! Love it...off to cut postcards!! Esther x

Great idea Darcy! I love the Griffin and Sabine books. Not sure I can commit to one a week but I am in and will do what I can. So I'm thinking, thinking, thinking on my characters, must be some intrigue involved...Thanks!

well after the annoying afternoon getting the book cover boards off a readers digest to use with the backing papers Harvey and I made with shaving creme, I decided to abandon that idea as the pages were too long for the cover and I didnt want to cut them, I searched lots of boxes still packed from our house move 13 weeks ago and found another book to demolish. Boards have been cut, edges sanded, gesso and covered, drying on the radiator, signatures made, envelopes stuck on, holes, eyes failing so I'll sew them together tomorrow Darcy. Lots of fun though and I'm so looking forward to seeing all the countries being announced each week. Thank you for hosting this, its already fab :) Will post the book photos on my blog on Thursday or Friday when its finished. Helen

Love your idea. Will do my best to keep up. I have an old Christmas post card from my Gram's sister-in-law (I think it is dated 1923). I love just looking at it. And will put it somewhere in my book. Thanks for sharing.

What an intelligent and innovative challenge! Thank you! Absolutely love the concept and would be delighted to be a part of it. Please add me to the bloggers that are taking part.Shena Meadowcrofthttp://www.byshena.blogspot.com

Just wanted to drop by and say hello. I also have the Griffin and Sabine books and they are by far, my most treasured items. I was so surprised to see someone else mention them. Love your blog and I will continue to follow you.PeaceRo

I just heard about this and thought Oh I have to do this and then fear stepped in saying can I do this. I think it will really make be grow and will be a challenge but I am not one to back down from a challenge and I loved the Griffin and Sabine books and I am just so excited about the prospect of doing this. So please add me to your list. http://thequeenofcreativity.blogspot.com I am off to start thinking about my characters.

Please add me... Amy said it was awesome on her blog, so I reckon she's right... I have posted by postcards now...now I have to go find your linky, that sounds a bit rude, but you know what I mean :/ Very cool challenge Darcy!

Hi Darcy,WOW! I just found you through a YouTube video. You rock to come up with such an exquisite challenge! I am joining and hope to be caught up by the end of next week (March 18/12). I am creating a blog for this also. I was looking for ways to create freely and this is just up my ally. I also love to write bits and pieces. Now I am going to check out your postcards and list the countries, I have to work on.

I'm committed to a year long workshop but I would love to do the art part of this project. Do you have a prompt list started somewhere or do you just announce weekly? I might have to wait until January 2012 to get going on this wonderful art challenge.

I love this idea! I am pretty new to the scrapbooking/art journaling world but I have been interested in art in many forms and writing since before college days in the 70's. I am going to jump in and see what i can accomplish by the end of the year. Every day starts a new year for me and I am grateful for each one. Thank you so much for sharing this idea. (and I am grateful to Sheri for telling me about it)